Dallas Fuel Are The Latest Team To Move East
In 2021, the Los Angeles Valiant moved their team to China. Earlier this year, just after the New Year, the team formerly known as the Philadelphia Fusion became the Seoul Dynasty and headed for South Korea. Now, the 2022 Overwatch League Champions, the Dallas Fuel have announced their plans to pack up and move to the Asian-Pacific Region as well.
The Dallas Fuel Will Return
In the video posted by the Dallas Fuel Mike "Hastr0" Rufaul, co-owner of the team lays out all the details of the teams surprising move. The video should serve as a positive sign for Dallas Fuel fans. As heartbreaking as it is to see the Texas fan-favorite team move, this is one of the more public and transparent announcements out of an Overwatch League Team.
For those fans who feel betrayed, you can rest easy as the move isn't permanent according to Hastr0.
"What does that mean for the future? It means we're playing there this season. So, that's all we have planned at the moment. We're going to allow the team to play this season out of South Korea but fully plan to bring them back to Dallas in the future." -Mike "Hastr0" Rufail
Another reasoning behind the move is a focus on the players comfort and well-being. The team is comprised entirely of South Korean players who haven't been home in two years. Hastr0 says the thought process started with wanting to support the players, make them closer to home and keep together the championship team as they look to the future.
A Change of Pace
The esports landscape is still young and ever-changing and as Hastr0 mentioned in the video, even the Overwatch League is dealing with its own uncertainty. A lot can happen in a single season of the OWL, but seeing the Dallas Fuel take its players well-being and wishes to return home into consideration is a nice change of pace.
It's all too common at season's end (or sometimes in the middle of a season) to see teams go through entire rebuilds. While there are always a plethora of circumstances that can affect this, it's never any less heartbreaking. The break-up of the fan favorite Vancouver Titans after the 2019 Grand Finals stings still to this day.
Hopefully fans of the Fuel won't have to wait an entire season for a chance to see them again, as one fan asked if there's any plans to bring the fans together despite the team moving east.
